1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to helmet liners. More particularly, it relates to a removable safety and comfort liner having an infinitely adjustable configuration.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various forms of pad sets for protective helmets are known in the prior art. These pad sets are designed to provide comfort while maintaining helmet shell stability and adding supplemental impact protection at a given compression. In order to meet these various requirements, helmets may be “fitted” by selecting pads for a particular individual or size range. To equip helmets with a pad set, a variety of different types of pads must be maintained in inventory. Due to the relatively small size of the individual pads, they can be easily lost in the field.
Other approaches provide a single piece helmet liner. Some examples may be seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,687,426 and 5,946,734 and 6,453,476. To achieve a high level of comfort, some single piece liners are individually fitted to a wearer's head. U.S. Pat. No. 4,432,099 discloses a liner made from layers of thermoplastics sheets that are heated to deform during a fitting procedure.
It would be desirable to provide a single piece helmet safety liner that is simply fitted by the wearer without requiring tools or assistance and provides flexibility for further adjustment at any time.